A Runner at Heart.....Riding a Bike

It was 35 degrees with that cold wind again.  Today was the first race of the City's fun run series so I decided to incorporate it into my longer run as some tempo miles or something like that.  I ran to Barry Smith's house and then we picked up 2 other people to run to the starting line.  I ran 4.11 miles down to the city building.  We got there in enough time to get a drink, use the bathroom, and keep warm before the 10K.  

I ran the 10K in 41:23, not really impressive but I did what I wanted and got some nice,steady pace miles in.  I hung around after the race for the prize drawing and actually got a  $10 certificate to a restaurant so that was kind of cool.  Speaking of cool, I got a really bad chill standing outside in the wind during the prize drawings.

Once we started running home it took me about 2 miles to finally start feeling warm again.  I ran part of the way back with Barry and Liza but they were getting tired and got a ride back after about 4 miles.  I ran the last several miles by myself and actually felt pretty good when I finished.

Total miles for the day was 20.80 so I ended up accomplishing just what I wanted today.

It was 45 degrees and breezy this morning.  I ran 10.59 miles easy.  Longer tomorrow.

It was 30 degrees and VERY WINDY today.  Winds were 30-40mph.  I ran 12.54 miles and just survived the conditions, nothing else.

It was 24 degrees this morning.  Very chilly, but at least the winds died down for a bit.  I ran 10.62 miles.

It was 30 degrees, very windy, and even started SNOWING this morning.  I ran 10.56 miles and it was NASTY!

It was 24 degrees, calm, and nice when the sun came up this morning.  Compared to the rest of the week it was great.  I ran 10.12 miles easy as I ran a mile with Terry Jensen and then several miles with Bob Fisher.

I just checked the website and I got in to ST GEORGE again!  That makes 8, only 2 more until I am a 10-yr guy and have an automatic entry!!!

It was 35 degrees and mostly calm this morning.  5 of us ran down Buckskin towards town this morning, then looped around on Hiline, back up Chubbuck Rd. and then climbed back up to Satterfield and then home.  We ran several good miles and 1 tempo mile (6:10) from mile 6-7.  I ended up running 13.21 total.

It was 44 degrees with a slight breeze this morning.  I ran 8.51 miles easy.

It was 44 degrees and raining this morning.  I ran 8.56 miles and got soaked.

It was 41 degrees and breezy this morning.  I ran a nice, easy 6.63 miles.

It was 39 degrees and humid this morning after last nights rain.  I ran 7.26 miles, 5 of them with Bob so they were nice and easy.

It was 38 degrees this morning.  I ran a nice, easy 4.21 just to stay loose for tomorrow.  I don't have any grand expectations for my finish time.  I have a master plan to peak in September/October so my time tomorrow will be fairly slow compared to last year.

It all started pretty well....

I stayed the night before the race with some friends at a condo at Wolf Creek so we did not have to catch the buses early because we were able to drive to the start.  That's the good news.

It was chilly at the start (32) but you could tell the day was going to get warm very quickly, and it did.  I started in a conservative pace as I did not have any aspirations of a PR today.  I was averaging 7:01 through 6 miles and was feeling good.  I took my gel after the 6 mile mark and made sure I focused to keep my pace while I ate as I sometimes slow a bit when I do this.  Mile 7 is fairly flat and I was feeling good so I pushed the pace ever so slightly.  I did mile 7 in 6:54 and was thinking I could be under a 3:10 with how I was feeling.

Then the pain started.  That stupid lower abdominal/upper groin issue that I have had problems with started to come back.  Mile 8 was a 7:03 and things went downhill from there.  By the time I got to the half in just under 1:36 I was in major pain.  I had a decision to make.  My friend Barry passed me just before the hill after 14 and he noticed how bad I looked.  I told him that I did not know if I would finish, and at that point I really did not know.

When I got to the crest of the hill at 14.3 I stopped at the aid station and tried to stretch for a minute.  That made the pain bearable (probably a 3 or 4) and I continued on.  I ended up having to do this for the rest of the run.  I stopped at each aid station and stretched for a minute.  When I would continue on the pain would be dull but would gradually increase to about a 7 or 8 by the next aid station.  I knew that this was now a training run and I stopped looking at my watch and headed for the finish slowly.

There are only 3 reasons I finished today:

1.  This is part of the Grand Slam.

2.  It is a downhill finish from 18-23 so I could stumble my way in.

3.  I am pig-headed and probably needed the miles anyway.

After how well I did last year this was not a fun day.  This stupid pain issue only bothers me when I try to run fast.  I can run slow all day long.

It was 48 degrees, a beautiful morning.  I ran 6.52 miles as my legs are not as beat-up as they usually are after a marathon because of how easy I had to take it yesterday.

It was 42 degrees this morning.  I ran an easy 6.55 miles.

It was 57 degrees and windy this morning.  I even had a couple of rain sprinkles, but nothing serious.  I ran an easy 8.52 miles and saw Kory coming down Satterfield while I was going up.

It was 49 degrees this morning.  I ran 8.67 miles easy.

It was 46 degrees, windy, and raining this morning.  During most of the run it was a steady rain and the winds were anywhere from 10-20mph.  I ran 8.32 miles, some of them slow with Bob.

It was 33 degrees with a cold breeze this morning.  I ran 8.56 miles with 3 good miles at the end.

It was 39 degrees with really cold winds this morning.  Wind chill in the mid 20's.  I ran 10.61 miles.

It was 37 degrees, windy, raining, and generally miserable out today.  I ran 8.61 miles.

I have the day off so I decided to sleep in a bit and run later.  When I left it was 45 degrees, sunny, with some wind but overall a gorgeous morning.  I wasn't sure on how far I was running either.  I figured at least 10 but I decided to run by feel and just enjoy the day since I was in no hurry.  I stopped by the sub at ISU to get a quick drink of water after a little over 8 miles and was still feeling pretty good.  The only issue I had was my glutes hurt the entire way from last nights plyo workout.  

I headed home nice and easy and finished with 16.12 miles, my longest run since Ogden.  What a Nice Day!!!

It was 39 degrees with a light breeze and overcast this morning.  I ran 12.61 miles and really had a good pace the first 4 miles.  I had to back off because this is supposed to be a recovery day.

It was 46 degrees, overcast, and calm this morning.  I ran 15.63 miles with 7 good tempo miles in the middle.

It was 46 degrees, overcast, and calm this morning.  I ran 10.67 miles easy.  Long run tomorrow.

It was 34 degrees, windy, and rainy.....not very nice at all.  I decided to push back my long run until the weather was better, maybe Monday or Tuesday.  I ran 10.68 miles.

It was 40 degrees and sunny this morning.  I ran 6.62 miles easy.

It was 46 degrees and a bit windy this morning.  But with the sunshine it was a fabulous run.  I ran 12.51 miles with a few pick-ups thrown in.  I love running on holiday mornings....hardly any traffic.